Recipe for Homemade Mustard (Tarragon-Cider Flavor)

This recipe for homemade mustard is easier than you’d think it would be. With just a few simple ingredients, you’ll have a low-calorie condiment that fits your taste preferences. Unlike ketchup and barbecue sauce, mustard often has negligible added sugar, making it one of my top burger toppers. Slather it on a sandwich or use it to add flavor to potato, chicken, or pork recipes. Yum!

Years ago, back when I lived in upstate New York, I joined an UNFI buying club. There was no cost to join my particular club, and I could get deep discounts on organic bulk goods. I saved a lot of money purchasing bulk beans, grains, and spices through them compared to our local stores.

Unfortunately, I did not always do well predicting which bulk items I would use in a reasonable amount of time. And that is how I ended up with a pound of brown mustard seeds living in my cupboard for years. The jar of seeds traveled with us on our move to the Boston area, eventually settling with us here in Connecticut.

I had initially purchased the seeds with the plan to start making my own mustard. However, caring for a young child, several long-distance moves, and a cancer diagnosis ended up taking priority. Over a decade passed, and my dreams of becoming a mustard maven never came to fruition. lol

Through the years, I would use a teaspoon of the seeds here and there in my recipes. The amounts used barely cut into the abundance of seeds, and the jar remained nearly full.

A few weeks ago, I tried sprouting some of the mustard seeds using the same method I used to make broccoli sprouts. Sadly, the old seeds failed to germinate.

Plan B: Where I end up making a recipe for homemade mustard as I originally intended

So now I’ve come full circle and am back to making mustard with the seeds. Now that I know how easy it is to make mustard, I find it silly I did not make time earlier. I’m going with tarragon-cider mustard here, but this recipe can easily be customized for whatever flavors you want.

For example, swap the cold water in the recipe for apple cider to get a more pronounced cider flavor. Or skip the cider flavor all together and substitute the apple cider vinegar for red wine vinegar or another vinegar.

Don’t like tarragon? Experiment with other dried herbs like rosemary and thyme.

And if you need more inspiration for mustard flavors, I highly recommend checking out the online Mustard Museum shop. They have more varieties of mustard than I have ever seen in my life. I’ve heard their sesame honey mustard is particularly spectacular (but it contains added sugar, of course).

Once you’ve created the perfect mustard, you need to figure out what to do with it. May I recommend trying Terrified Amateur’s deviled chicken drumsticks and the roasted potatoes Poupon? Add a green salad with a mustardy dressing, and you have a meal fit for a (mustard-loving!) king or queen.

Whatever you do, don’t skip letting the mustard sit in the fridge for a few days. I know that you probably want to dig into your tasty creation right away, but this mustard needs time to mellow and thicken. I promise that it will be worth the wait!

And now for the disclaimer…

All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.

The calorie information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don’t sweat the numbers too much.

For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to this post. Let’s get cooking!

What is your favorite type of mustard? If you make this recipe for homemade mustard, please leave a rating in the comments below. I’d love to hear how it turned out!